“These are so pretty, but you didn’t need to get me flowers.”
“I know. But I wanted to show you how serious I’m taking this first official date. Can’t have you finding a loophole.”
That had me laughing when I realized what he meant. “Like the planning it ahead requirement? Don’t worry, Zane. I’ve been waiting over a year for this date. No way am I looking for a loophole.”
He smiled in satisfaction. “Good. Turnabout’s only fair. That’s how long I’ve been dreaming about this.”
That had a warm feeling sweeping across my insides. “Just let me put these in some water, and then we can go.”
I found a tall glass and filled it with water, setting the flowers next to my bed before we left the dorm.
Bright stars and a nearly full moon hung overhead as we stepped outside. I sent a quick prayer to the Moon Mother that all would go well.
Zane gestured and at my assenting smile wrapped his hand around mine. The evening was warm, but a refreshing breeze danced along my skin. I took a bracing breath and found myself thinking of that bizarre illusion on this very path. Thoughts of the ticking heartbeat that kept appearing in my dreams had me shivering.
He frowned and moved his arm to drape along my shoulders. “Are you cold?”
I nestled into the crook of his arm and shook my head. “No, I’m fine. I just remembered something from a—a nightmare I had not too long ago.”
“Ah. Nightmares suck.”
He didn’t remove his arm despite my saying I wasn’t cold, and I didn’t mind one little bit. How could I, when his flesh was warm and intense sparks flew between us each time we touched?
Moments later he helped me into the expensive but surprisingly practical SUV that was his ride. His SUV was modeled after a famous mortal luxury brand and would have cost a ton to magically reproduce in one of the magical realms and import here. Like at least a year’s worth of my father’s and brother’s salaries combined.
And your birth father is a freaking king! I reminded myself before a sense of inferiority could hit. Neither of us could help our roots, and we had nothing to be ashamed of.
He asked how my interview had gone and squeezed my hand with an enthusiastic, “I knew you’d get it!” when I told him the good news. The drive didn’t last long. Soon we were pulling up to a charming three-story brick house that had a sign in its largest window reading Private Dance Lessons.
“I hope you don’t mind having a later dinner tonight. They could only fit us in for an early session.”
My eyes widened. “Dance lessons? Is that our date?”
He just smiled mysteriously and ushered me up a short flight of stairs and through a wide front door. The moment we crossed the threshold, the infectious tones of salsa music hit my ears. It transported me back to childhood, when Mom’s mother would demonstrate her impressive dance skills for two little girls who tried but failed to imitate her.
I smiled when I realized. “You remembered when I said I always wanted to learn how to salsa properly!”
“How could I forget? You told me that right after mocking my sweet, sweet dance moves at Prom.”
I giggled at the memory. He actually wasn’t lying—he really did have amazing dance skills—but I’d been so annoyed after watching him dance with his date all night that envy had reared its ugly head.
“I was just jealous of your date,” I confessed, biting my lip uncertainly. Would that annoy or relieve him?
“Whew. And here I thought you’d been serious and would refuse to step onto the dance floor with me.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting way more than a year to learn to salsa. My mother’s mother was Puerto Rican on her mother’s ancestral line. She used to play this music all the time when she visited. Goddess, I always wanted to be able to swing my hips like she did.”
Despite the fact Nana hadn’t been my biological grandmother, her death before she could finish teaching us to salsa herself had devastated Misty and me. We’d had a special bond with her and just thinking about the hours we’d spent dancing when I was a little girl made me smile.
Zane held out his arm with a smile of his own. “I never knew that.”
I accepted his arm and shimmied in time to the music as we stepped down the hallway. “We used to dance with her when Misty and I were little, but we never did her moves justice. I mean, we were barely eight when she died, so not a huge shock.”
Goddess, had that really been ten years ago already? Crazy how fast time could fly.
We reached a set of swinging doors that Zane opened with a gallant sweep of his arms. I stepped through and into a small ballroom with a hardwood dance floor and beautiful art depicting dancers from all across both Mortal and Shadow Realms hanging on the walls. A gorgeous crystal chandelier lit with candles rather than electricity provided low lighting overhead, augmented by tiny fairy lights that twinkled all around the room. The music we’d heard seemed to echo from an old-fashioned phonograph placed atop a large table on the near side of the room. I could only assume a more modern music player must be concealed inside.
No sooner did my gaze leave the phonograph than it was captivated by a beautiful couple twirling around the opposite side of the room. Their movements were so precise and intoxicating that it took my breath away. The woman wore a saucy red dress that was low-cut up top, short on bottom, and swirled around her shapely legs as she danced. Her partner was a man barely a few inches taller than her who wore a dance costume that resembled a tux but was obviously made of material far more friendly for dancing.
The song drew to a close, and the couple finished their dance with a dramatic turn and dip. Zane and I broke into enthusiastic applause. They flashed smiles and stepped across the floor to introduce themselves as husband and wife witches of Puerto Rican descent who had spent decades living in New York during the height of the salsa craze before returning to their birthplace here in the Gloaming.
Carmen, the wife, pulled Zane aside for the first ten minutes to teach him the most basic steps while her husband Diego did the same for me. They were dynamic and talented teachers who had us laughing with a well-timed joke one minute and at our own mistakes the next. I was happy to see that I actually retained more of what Nana had taught me than I’d expected.
“Beautiful job, bonita!” Diego praised, spinning me back toward Carmen and Zane. “Now, let’s partner you two back up and see if you can keep up with us old-timers.”
Considering that they barely looked five years older than us (despite being decades older), that had Zane and me laughing. As much fun as it had been to twirl in Diego’s arms with his expert leading, my heart picked up speed when Zane wrapped his arms around me in a way it just hadn’t with the other man. His bare skin touched mine in several places, sending shivers skating along my flesh.
Sensuous strains of another song began echoing in the air. We glanced at Carmen and Diego as they began twirling once more. There was no way we could keep up with them for even a moment, so we decided to just do our own thing.
Zane proved once again that he really did have sweet, sweet dancing skills. It was easy to follow his lead, and he made me look far more talented than I actually was. Then again, that was also partially thanks to Nana’s long-ago lessons. We spent the next 50 minutes swaying and strutting around the room to a succession of sultry songs as Carmen and Diego gave us corrections and pointers. By the time our hour-long lesson ended, we were both red-faced, sweaty, and smiling in sheer joy.
“You both did very well for your first lesson,” Carmen said with a smile. “And be honest. Nothing is as intoxicating as losing yourself to the salsa beat while wrapped in your lover’s arms.”
I flushed slightly at her use of the word lover, because Zane and I had not yet come anywhere close to anything deserving that word. Zane just grinned and planted a kiss on my cheek. “You’re adorable when you blush,” he murmured so only I could hear.
That had me feeling bold, so I leaned forward to press my lips against
his. We shared a quick but toe-curling kiss before he pulled back. “What do you say to booking another lesson once you find out your new work schedule?”
I felt a smile split my lips. “I would love that.”
We bid Carmen and Diego goodbye with the promise of scheduling a second session soon. I winked at Zane as we walked back to his SUV. “Funny how you can spend all week in school and still find a different type of lesson so much fun.”
He grinned. “Probably because in this lesson, there are no pop quizzes or homework.”
I laughed. “Too true! And they definitely don’t play awesome music in our other classes.”
“And you don’t get to lose yourself to the beat in your lover’s arms, either.”
We shared a long look, but this time I managed not to blush before we drove to a nearby upscale Mexican restaurant. We chatted about how our first weeks had gone over the meal. He told several funny stories about his first week as an RA. I told him a few amusing stories about growing up with a twin sister, including how we’d tried a few times as toddlers to pass as each other before we quite understood that we weren’t actually identical twins. I also went into more detail with how my job interview had gone. We found excuses to touch and kiss as often as possible over the dinner that we stretched out for two hours. But then the restaurant closed its doors and he paid for our meal so we could make our way back to Artemis House.
Gooseflesh broke out along my skin as we passed the area where my earlier brush with that terrifying illusion had occurred. Zane already had his arm around my shoulders. When I shivered again, he snuggled me a little closer for warmth. I let out a contented sigh and allowed him to shift our bodies to face each other.
“I’m going to kiss you goodnight now while we don’t have an audience, if that’s all right with you?”
“By all means,” I drawled. “We’ve already had our first kiss, so there’s like zero pressure this time.”
“Speak for yourself,” he said with heat in his eyes. “I feel all sorts of pressure any time I’m with you.”
His lips descended on mine with a firm quickness that had me gasping in pleasure. Heat spiraled between us, kicked into overdrive as his tongue dipped into my mouth and swirled around my tongue. My arms clutched him for balance as my knees went weak. His hands danced along my bare arms, inspiring new shivers as they traced a line of fire along my skin. We kissed for several minutes, lost in the sensations that we’d waited so long to experience, until a few catcalls signalled that we hadn’t quite managed to avoid an audience.
Not that either of us really minded too much.
Zane insisted on walking me all the way to Sir Stalwart in the Northwest Tower, at which point we stole another quick kiss before I convinced him to allow me to head up to my room alone. I knew that Misty would be waiting for me to spill all the details of our first date. No telling who might be waiting in the lounge outside our suite. We’d already had one audience to our playing kissy-face. I’d rather avoid chance of another.
Turned out I’d worried for no reason. There wasn’t anyone hanging out in the Eighth Floor Tower lounge. I quickly scanned myself into our suite and stepped over the threshold—only to find myself the unwitting audience of a hot and heavy makeout session; this one starring Misty and Steph.
A popular romantic comedy played on the television, but neither woman was paying it a bit of attention. Instead, they were kissing each other with every bit as much passion as Zane and I had shared. It took me clearing my throat really loudly for them to jerk apart and glance over the back of the sofa to catch sight of me standing awkwardly in front of the door. They flushed a far brighter shade of red than I had all night put together.
“Oh, uh, you’re back!” Misty finally managed to say with false brightness.
Yes, very excellent strategy. Let’s just pretend like I hadn’t seen a damned thing. In fact, this might help me make it to my room without having to share too many details with my sister. It would be nice to get the chance to process everything myself first.
“I am. We had a great night! I’ll tell you all the details tomorrow night, but I’m absolutely exhausted. I feel like I could sleep for at least 18 hours!”
That was my pointed reminder to Misty that I actually would be sleeping for the next 18 hours or so, thanks to my Pep Up spell.
Steph managed to get her blushing back under control first, and she forced a smile. “Glad to hear you and Zane had a great night. Um, maybe I should take off…”
I zoomed across the room and opened my bedroom door. “Don’t take off on my account! I’m going to crash the second I get into bed. You’re not going to keep me up if you finish your, um, movie.”
I gave a quick wave and ducked into my room, shutting the door firmly behind me. Hushed giggles broke out in the other room. That had me grinning all of a sudden. As awkward as the situation had felt, I really did like Steph. My sister could do way worse for her first college fling. And who knew? Maybe they’d become way more than that. The two had certainly been spending a ton of time together, and they just seemed to fit.
Kinda like Zane and me.
Pixie pounced on me the moment I settled on the bed to unfasten my sandals. I gave her a quick PG-rated report on how the date went via telepathy, and then we speculated for a moment on whether Steph and Misty would make things official now that I’d caught them making out on our couch. We gave it 50-50 odds.
Exhaustion began weighing me down as the Pep Up spell began to fade, so I quickly got ready for bed, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. Pixie snuggled next to me as I settled beneath the covers, and then sleep sucked me under.
Chapter 11
The other times I’d used the spell, my sleep had been like that of the undead, without the slightest sign of dreams to plague me. This time, however, the same sense of impending doom disturbed my slumber. The frantic sound of a beating heart ticking like a timebomb chased me across insubstantial landscapes of chaos and magic. I could never quite figure out exactly what surrounded me or who was pursuing me, but I knew that if they caught me my life would end.
After hours of this, I finally became more aware of my surroundings. I’d stepped into a lush forest of living greenery and woodland creatures who darted all around me as if unafraid. As if they trusted me not to hurt them. I looked down at myself and saw that I was garbed much like one of the Moon Mother’s chief handmaidens. Her Storm Arrows. Complete with the tattoo of a jagged silver arrow slashed with blue sparks across my lower arm.
That realization zinged through me like an electric shock, and then a disembodied voice vibrating with maternal affection and immortal authority rang in my ears. “Your time grows short, my daughter. Only by becoming one of my arrows can you hope to survive the coming storms. I can delay the failing spell whose ticking stalks you for a time, but you must earn that delay. The Great Balance demands this.”
My eyes widened when I realized that Artemis Herself was speaking to me. And this no longer felt like a dream.
“It is not merely a dream. I Call you to serve, my daughter. Step into the teleporter and come to me. Only you and your familiar may come. If you do not come, then your false beating heart will stop in the next few days; meaning both you and your sister will die.”
I woke with a start, real heart pounding painfully as I realized that Artemis really had been speaking to me in my dreams. A check of my bedside clock confirmed this, because only divine intervention could account for my waking mere hours after falling to sleep feeling as refreshed as if I’d slept for days. That Pep Up Your Step spell should have had me sleeping for at least another 12 hours.
Pixie’s multi-colored eyes met mine when I glanced over to where she stood, back arched and fur standing straight up.
“You heard the Call, too?”
She nodded. ((Yes, and we best not keep Her Divinity waiting!))
I dressed quickly in jeans, shirt, and flat boots before sliding my favorite silver dagger into a boot sheath. Then I
crept out of the suite and across the lounge to the waiting suit of armor. I quietly announced my name and raised my hand so the teleporter spell could scan my magical ID. My lips opened to request teleportation, but I wasn’t sure what exactly to say. Before I could panic, however, a disembodied voice broke the silence. “Please teleport them to the Maze of Artemis.”
My mouth dropped open and the world spun into a kaleidoscope of dizzying colors, sounds, and smells that overwhelmed my senses. I closed my eyes against the onslaught, hand moving to clutch Pixie’s body for comfort as our molecules were zapped apart before being reassembled seconds later. It took another few seconds for vertigo to fade enough that I could blink my eyes open again.
Awe had my eyes widening as I took in our new surroundings. A deep, dark indigo sky stretched out above, brilliant silver and gold pinpricks marking endless constellations; only some of which I recognized. The word Maze had initially made me think of one of those old labyrinths made of overgrown hedges mortals were sometimes fond of, but my startled gaze didn’t take in any such thing. Instead, impossibly tall trees radiated in concentric circles all around. Each circle of trees revealed a natural-looking path of pine needles and moss that led in a different direction. Slowly I became aware that a hundred nighttime noises split the air, from the hooting of owls and songs of crickets to the whisper of crisp evening breezes rustling over my skin.
My heart caught in my throat as I glanced around wildly, trying to figure out where we’d been transported. No convenient suits of armor marking a teleporter back to where we’d just come from could be seen. That made me extremely nervous. Sure, both Pixie and I believed that Artemis had called us here. But what if we were wrong? What if an enemy had tricked us and teleported us somewhere deadly? This was even worse than that illusion outside the dorm.
That had my eyes narrowing as I wondered whether this could be a similar experience. But then I shook my head. This felt too real to be mere illusion.
Pixie seemed to share my sentiment. ((I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Because this is definitely not an illusion.))
A Witch’s Beating Heart Page 14
